Baby rattles have long been a source of amusement for infants. Typically, rattles are extremely lightweight and compact so that they can be easily grasped and shaken by babies at an extremely early age to emit different sounds or noises. It is desirable to further enhance the attractiveness of baby rattles and other toys by causing them to become illuminated when shaken.
Presently, toys are commercially available which will emit sparks or can be activated by the child to display blinking lights. However, to the best of my knowledge, no one has satisfactorily devised a way to incorporate a light source into a rattle and such that the light source is activated as a result of the impact of the loose particles within the rattle in the shell so that all or selected portions of the shell are illuminated; and further wherein the light source can be incorporated into the rattle or other toy without a substantial increase in weight or size.
In my copending application for patent Ser. No. 467,675 and entitled MOTION SENSITIVE, FIBER OPTIC, STRIKE INDICATING FISHING ROD ASSEMBLY, there is set forth and described a fishing rod assembly in which a motion sensor in the rod will activate a light source to create a visual warning that a fish has struck the line.